Eating to prevent hay fever

Could fortifying your gut be the key to reducing your risk of suffering hay fever this Spring?

If the mere thought of spring makes your eyes water and your nose itch, you are far from alone with nearly one in five Australians suffering from hay fever.

Although the most symptoms are sneezing, an everlasting runny nose and red eyes, it can be far more serious than that for many sufferers, often reporting disturbed sleep patterns, tiredness, mental fog, decreased motor function and a reduction in participation in social activities.

Just because you fall into the 'one in five' category doesn’t mean hay fever needs to continue impacting your health. In fact, there are many things you can do to help build up immunity and protection against environmental allergens such as house dust, pollens, grasses, fungal spores, animal fur and air pollutants, says Vicki Vandenhurk, naturopath and herbalist at Healthy Life.

"Natural relief can come in many forms from gingko to garlic and ginger, but it's also vital to get your gut right," she says, explaining that studies have shown 70 per cent of the body's immune system resides in the guts so that our gut bacteria plays an integral part in the immune response against allergens.

"If the integrity of the gut wall is compromised, toxin, bacteria and undigested food particles can pass into the blood stream starting the cycle of inflammation in the body," she says.

Rather than relying on sprays and tablets once you're in the first week of September, you’re better off working with a 'prevention is better than cure' mentality and building up your body's immune system by focusing on your gut health and balancing the gut flora with the support of specific strains of probiotics to reduce histamines.

To help give your body the edge that it needs, Vandenhurk recommends:

Avoiding sugar and refined carbohydrates and replacing gluten and dairy products where you can. "Look for alternatives such as almond milk, coconut milk, coconut oil, xylitoland raw honey – all of which can help ease hay fever symptoms," she says.

Loading up on your quercetin, a natural histamine and antioxidant found in dark berries, grapefruit and onions.

Introducing or increasing the amount of probiotics in your diet. Probiotics can help repair gut health and improve immunity and good choices include yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut as well as supplements such as Healthy Essential Probiotic 10.

Increasing your intake of vitamin C and Iron, both of which work an anti-inflammatory, helping to heal the gut wall.